Seal for mail-packages



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. J. BROOKS.

SEAL FOR MAIL PACKAGES, Gzc.

No. 407,057. r Patented July 16, 1889. 55:;

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

- B. J. BROOKS.

SEAL FOR MAIL PACKAGES, 8w. No. 407,057. Patented July 16, 1889.

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.specification as part thereof.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDlVARD J. BROOKS, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

SEAL FOR MAIL-PACKAGES, 800.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 407,057, dated July 16, 1889.

Application filed June 19, 1889. Serial No. 314,803- (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD J. BRooKs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of East Orange,in the State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Seals for Mail Packages, &c.,of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to means for sealing packages of registered mail, similar express packages, and the like, having wrappers or jackets, as they are hereinafter termed, in the form of envelopes. lleretofore superficial seals of sealing-wax have been most commonly employed for this purpose. In forming this kind of seals, in post-offices and express-offices especially, large quantities of the somewhat expensive wax are needlessly used by ignorant and careless persons, and sticks of the wax are readily carried off by thieves. Moreover, such seals, especially when they are unduly thick and on some kinds of paper,are easily so removed and replaced as to escape detection.

The objects of the present invention are, first, to facilitate making of wax seals without waste of wax and their preliminary and secure attachment to such package-jackets, and, secondly, to preclude the removal of the stamped seals without such defacement thereof or of the jackets as to insure quick detection.

This invention consists, primarily, in a novel sealing-rivet having a rigid head at one end and a normally hard and brittle but fusible stem, the latter composed of suitable ignitible wax, and, secondly, in the combination of a rivet-stem of wax and a metallic eyelet in which the wax is conveniently cast fast, so that the rim of the eyelet serves as the head of the rivet and its tube or crown precludes cutting olf the superficial portion of the stamped seal.

Two sheets of drawings accompany this Figure 1 of these drawings is a perspective view of the special eyelet preferably employed. Fig. 2 is age represented in Fig. .1).

Fig. 5 is a like view of a similar] y-scalcd package open at the end. Fig. (i is a like view of a package-jacket of a different pattern sealed with like seals. Figs. 7 and S are small-scale face views, each showin g a package-jacket open and another of like pattern sealed; and Figs. 9 and 10 are perspective views of detached sealing-rivets illustrating modifications.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

I11 carrying this invention into effect I apply one or more of my sealing-rivets R to a packagejacket J, of any suitable flexible ma terial, having a perforated flap or flaps f and one or more perforated thicknesses g h zlj underlying the same, through which the stem of the rivet is passed preparatory to applying the seal-stamp, Fig. 3, to spread the superficial seal portion or seal proper S, Figs. 3 to S, and impress the same with its distinguishing-marks.

The sealing-rivets B have, in either of their forms, a normally hard and brittle but fusible stem 8 of ignitible wax, such as ordinary scaling-wax, containing sufficient turpentine, so that after the jacket-flap f is applied thereto a lighted match may be applied to fuse the stem, as illustrated by Fig. 3, or it may be otherwise ignited or heated, after which the seal-stamp is at once applied to produce the seal proper S, as above. A seal-stamp, Fig. 3, having a central concavity c in its face, so as to produce a corresponding convexity on the seal, is peculiarly applicable to wax seals thus produced; but ordinary seal-stamps may be employed.

In the preferred arrangements illustrated by Figs. 7 and S the head of the sealing-rivet R is located between a perforated portion 9 of the jacket J and an imperforate portion k, underlying the same, and to which it is ccmented, so that the rivet is rigidly and inseparably attached to the jacket before the sealing operation. The particular jacket represented in Fig. 8 is adapted to be furnished by the maker without attached rivets. Consequently its said perforated portion g is originally in the form of a loose flap, (shown by full and dotted lines in two positions) and it is provided with a special adhesive coating (L to facilitate cemen ting the portion gin its dotted position to attach the rivet.

Two or more. sealing-rivets R may be attached in like manner, as illustrated by additional seals S in dots at the right hand in Fig. 8.

The preferred sealing-rivets represented, respectively, by Figs. 1 and 2 and by Fig. 9 have the wax cast fast within metallic eyelets e, which are preferably stamped for the purpose from thin tin-plate or taggers tin, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, with the metal displaced from the center in the form of a serrated crown, which surrounds the stem portion of the wax and precludes cutting through the same behind the stamped seal portion or seal S, while the flange or rim of the eyelet forms the head of the rivet. Ordinary commercial eyelets, as in Fig. 9, will answer substantially the same purposes, but are more expensive.

In the arrangements illustrated by Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 the sealing-rivets R are not attached to the jackets J except by the sealing operation. In the arrangement illustrated by Fig. 7 the sealing-rivet R is inseparably attached to the jacket J at the factory. In the modification illustrated by Fig. 10 the sealing-rivet R is made wholly of wax.

The perforations through which the stems .of the sealing-rivets extend, or those in the flap f, at least, may preferably be re-enforced with eyelets or the like, in customary manner. Other like modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and details which have not been specified may be of any approved description.

Having thus described the said improvement in seals, I claim as my invention and desire to patent under this specification- 1. A sealing-rivet having a rigid head at one end and a normally hard and brittle but fusible stem, the latter composed of ignitible wax,

whereby the same is adapted to be prelimi- EDIVAR'D J. BROOKS.

Witnesses:

Ms. L. EWIN, E. L. VVHITE.

wax and 

